


Trying to Find a Crown that Fits

by Impala_Chick



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Druids, Episode: s02e07 The Witchfinder, Escape, Gen, Good Morgana (Merlin), Hiding, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, OT4, POV Morgana (Merlin), Season/Series 02, Team Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-13 00:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20573594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Chick/pseuds/Impala_Chick
Summary: Aredian interrogates Morgana and she confesses that she has prophetic dreams. Uther sentences her to death for the crime of being born a witch. But Arthur, Merlin, and Gwen aren't about to leave Morgana to her fate.





	Trying to Find a Crown that Fits

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Merlin_Canon 2019! Title from the song _Rebels_ by Ivy Adara.

A Knight whose name she did not know grabbed her arm to pull her roughly from her prison cell. She barely had the strength to put one foot in front of the other, until she remembered that this was the last time anyone would see her alive. She straightened her spine and ripped her arm away from the guard to walk unaided. 

It was ironic that while Morgana now knew she was a witch, she had no power to break the chains that were clamped around her wrists. She could only see the future and that did not do her any good now. She had admitted as much to Aredian after he made threats about Gwen and Arthur. She’d been forced to admit to the entire court who she was. Uther’s face had changed from one of pity to one of disbelief and disgust, and Morgana knew then that her fate was sealed. 

What made little sense was the fact that Morgana had never had a dream of herself burning on a pyre. She’d had a dream of Gaius burning at the stake a few nights before the Witchfinder arrived. When she was arrested instead of Gaius and that bracelet was found in her chambers, she knew something was amiss. But she knew that once judgment was passed, she was powerless to change Uther’s mind.

Her gift had always felt like a curse, but now it would be the cause of her death.

Men in Camelot red loaded her into the witchfinder’s steel cage. She looked out at the gathered crowd and tried to make eye contact with as many people as possible. They should have to look at her face. They should know that no one was safe so long as Uther lived, not even a Lady of the Court. 

Many eyes darted downwards to avoid her gaze.

“Don’t look away! Look at what Camelot has become!” She shouted through the bars. 

A woman flinched away and pulled her child from the crowd. A burly man shook his fist in the air and shouted “Witch!” 

Morgana spit in his face.

“You’re not making it very easy to save you, are you?” A man behind her whispered.

Morgana whipped around to see Arthur dressed in a commoner’s blue cloak. It was pulled down over his head, but she could see the familiar outline of his mouth and nose.

“Don’t say anything and turn back around,” Arthur quickly instructed, keeping his voice low.

Morgana tried to push away the surge of hope that welled up within her, but she couldn’t help it. At the very least, Arthur had not abandoned her. She turned around to face away from Arthur and curled her hands around the hard steel of the bars. She looked out over the crowd again, focusing on as many faces as she could. She saw children she had played with in the meadow, servants she’d talked with in the Castle, storekeepers she’d purchased things from in the market. She thought these people had been her friends but no one called out to her as she was pulled past. She hoped they weren’t the last faces she would see. 

The cage stopped moving and Morgana looked ahead to the pyre. Aredian was standing nearby with a lit torch in hand. Whatever Arthur was going to do, he had better do it quickly. 

A Knight reached up to grab her elbow, and Morgana realized her hands were trembling as she stepped down from the cage. She pushed her hair out of her face with her free hand and straightened her dress. She raised her gaze to the edge of the parapet where Uther was standing, his golden crown on his head.

“Is this what you intended all along?” Morgana screamed up at him. “Magic isn’t destroying Camelot. You are!” 

She couldn’t really make out his facial expression, but he shook his head slightly before turning away. The Knight elbowed a few people aside to pull Morgana told the pyre but she kept her gaze fixed on Uther’s retreating form.

“Coward! You should have to watch me burn!” 

She stumbled a bit as a Knight pushed her against the heap of wood at the base of the stake. Her chest tightened and she struggled to breathe. It was as if the smoke was already surrounding her. She should have killed Uther when she had the chance. 

Suddenly, the Knight holding her loosened his grip and crumpled to the ground. She looked up to see Arthur pulling his sword from the man’s back. Morgana was frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do. But then Merlin appeared on her right side.

“We’ve got to go,” Merlin hissed. He must have noticed her bewildered expression, because he softened his voice and held out his hand. “You still trust me?” 

Morgana nodded without hesitation. Merlin and Arthur seemed to be her only friends in the entire world now. She gripped his offered hand and ran. 

The three of them used their elbows to frantically move through the crowd. It seemed that the Knights were too surprised by the sudden turn of events to take immediate action. The three of them were already through the crowd and at the gate by the time Morgana heard the clank of swords behind them. 

She had never ran so fast in her life. Her bare feet struck the hard rocky road of the courtyard but she barely felt them. Merlin and Arthur were on either side of her but she didn’t look at them for fear that she would stumble.

Arthur turned to the left after they were outside the gates. Morgana followed with her heart pounding. She knew she had left Camelot behind for good. She could never return.

“Duck!” Merlin yelled. She did as instructed and an arrow whistled past them. Arthur picked up the pace and Morgana willed her legs to go faster. 

Arthur swerved into the treeline and Morgana jumped over a fallen log to follow suit. She heard Merlin crashing through the brush behind them. They didn’t slow until Arthur jumped into a shallow gully. 

She jumped in and stumbled forward. She felt a sharp sting in her ankle, but somehow she stayed on her feet. Merlin jumped in behind Morgana and they walked single-file for a few tense, silent moments. 

Ahead of them, Morgana noticed a narrow opening. It seemed to be overgrown with moss and ivy, but it was just wide enough for Arthur to slip through once he turned his body sideways. Morgana followed him. It was dark inside the cavern and it smelled of wet earth. 

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dark light, and she could barely see the outline of Arthur in front of her. He paused and reached his hand back, so she took it. She looked over her shoulder at Merlin, who was trudging along behind them. She reached her hand out so that he could take it. The three of them walked like that, linked together, and Morgana finally felt her heart rate slowing.

Morgana could see a glowing amber light up ahead and she felt Arthur tugging her forwards. The light grew until they stepped out of the narrow corridor into a much larger space. There was a roaring campfire lit in the middle of the room and a few packs stacked up near the doorway. 

“Morgana!” 

Gwen ran forward and threw her arms around Morgana’s neck. Morgana slumped into her arms, relieved to know that Gwen hadn’t abandoned her. Even after finding out that she was a witch. 

“I was so worried,” Gwen whispered as she clutched the back of Morgana’s torn purple gown.

Morgana pulled back and stroked Gwen’s hair. She could feel the tears beginning to fall as she looked upon Gwen’s happy, familiar face.

“I’m here,” Gwen said softly before smiling over at Arthur and Merlin. 

“You planned my escape?” She asked, grateful. The three of them had just fled Camelot to avoid her fate. They had all risked their lives for her.

“It was mostly Merlin’s idea, actually.” Gwen nodded over to Merlin, who had moved to stand by the fire. “Not that we all didn’t want to help. We debated a few things, but Uther would not listen to reason. We had to make a break for it, in the end.”

The mention of Uther sent a shiver down Morgana’s spine and she turned around to look towards the opening. She didn’t feel safe from him, not even in the woods. “What if they followed us?”

Merlin spoke up from his seated position. “They won’t. We laid a few diversions.”

“I… thank you.” Morgana knew those words were not adequate enough to express the full extent of her gratitude, but nothing poetic would come to her. Her skin still thrummed from running for her life, so she started to pace around the cave. She could feel her hands shaking as she took in huge gulps of air.

“Morgana, you should rest,” Arthur called out to her. She didn’t turn to face him, but she paused her frantic movements. Her body started to feel limp as exhaustion washed over her. She stumbled forward when she tried to keep her weight off her injured ankle.

“My Lady,” Gwen said as she caught Morgana’s elbow. Arthur appeared at her other side, and the two of them led her to a rolled out blanket. They helped her sit down. 

“I’m not a Lady anymore, Gwen,” Morgana said, her voice shaking. 

“It’s okay, Morgana. You’re safe. You can sleep now,” Arthur murmured. Gwen handed Morgana a blanket and she gladly took it. Her body was trembling even though she wasn’t cold. She pulled the blanket tight around herself.

If they said anything else to her, she didn’t hear them. She laid down and closed her eyes, praying for the kind of rest that would relieve her exhaustion and allow her to feel safe again.

\----

The next time she woke, it was impossible to tell how long she’d been asleep. The fire still burned low in the middle of the cave and she saw Merlin heating a pan over it. Gwen and Arthur were seated on a rolled up blanket, their heads bent toward each other as they conversed in low tones.

Selfishly, she was glad they had all run away with her. She didn’t think she would have had the courage to go alone. 

She sat up with a sigh, feeling warmed by the presence of the three of them watching over her. 

“Morgana?” Arthur asked as he craned his neck to look at her.

“You should come eat,” Merlin said as he shook the pan.

Gwen stood up and walked towards her with a soft smile on her face. 

“All of you are being quite ridiculous. I’m fine,” Morgana said, but she was smiling. 

“We know,” Gwen said. “But I’m afraid we’ll probably be a bit protective of you for awhile.” 

Morgana stood up on her own and took Gwen’s offered hand. Morgana squeezed her fingers, grateful that she was still with her after so many years. She’d have to spend a lifetime repaying Gwen.

She settled on Arthur’s left and took the bowl of warm stew Merlin offered her.

“What will you all do now?” She asked as she inhaled the scent of fine spices and warm meat. 

She watched as Arthur glanced over at Merlin, who was looking at Gwen with an eyebrow raised. Morgana took a bite of her meal, somewhat sad that she’d even brought up the future at all. Based on their hesitancy, Morgana wondered whether the protective bubble that had descended over her was about to burst. 

Gwen sat down on Morgana’s other side and put a gentle hand on her knee.

“My Lady, we happen to know the Druids will take us in. Or plan is to go to them under cover of darkness,” Gwen said earnestly as she looked up at Morgana through her lashes.

“They would take me back?” Morgana asked, surprised. She thought for sure they would never want to see her again after the destruction she’d brought to their doorstep. She had no right to ask anything of them and yet she wouldn’t turn down such a wonderful opportunity. 

“Yes,” Merlin said gently. “They know that what happened wasn’t your fault. And there are ways we can be useful to them. We won’t be totally useless.” 

“What do you mean?” Morgana asked, confused. Why was Merlin speaking as if they were all going to stay with the Druids?

Merlin tipped his head towards Arthur, making it obvious that it was his turn to speak. It became clear to Morgana that they’d all practiced what they wanted to say to her. Morgana craned her head at Arthur with a sly smile, eager to hear his part of this plan. 

“None of us can go back to Camelot now, not while my father lives. It is too dangerous. So we want to go with you,” Arthur said as she smiled at her. He looked impossibly young in that moment as the firelight flickered across his face. He leaned forward and poked at with a stick, and Morgana saw the pink flush creeping up his neck and cheeks. 

“You would do that for me?” Morgana breathed. She glanced around at Gwen and Merlin, who both nodded. 

The bowl of stew teetered in her lap but she quickly corrected it. She looked back at Arthur, who was pointedly avoiding her gaze. 

“This is not what I expected,” Morgana said truthfully. She could barely imagine a Camelot without Arthur. It didn’t make sense for him to give up the throne just to protect her. It didn’t make sense for Gwen or Merlin to give up their whole lives in order to join a group that was constantly on the run from Uther.

“Are you not pleased, My Lady?” Gwen asked as she tightened her hand on Morgana’s knee. Morgana put the bowl on the ground so she could grab Gwen’s hand and press it to her lips.

“I am most pleased. But I worry that a life with the Druids is not what you all truly want,” Morgana said. 

“It has always been my destiny to share my life with you.” Gwen smiled softly and brushed a tendril of hair from Morgana’s face. 

Morgana tried not to tear up at Gwen's words. They felt heavy, like something more serious than a promise, but they also felt so _right_ once she said them. “Thank you,” she said sincerely as she turned to Merlin. 

He smirked and then his eyes flashed gold. The fire leapt up in a burst of energy and a golden dragon danced in the flames. 

Morgana gasped. That was the last thing she had expected. Her mind flicked through memories of conversations with Merlin, conversations where it had always seemed he had something more to say. “Merlin? You are a sorcerer?”

He nodded and rubbed a hand through his hair. “The Druids know me. I would be happy to live among them,” Merlin said as he glanced over at Arthur. 

Morgana glanced at the dragon in the flames, dancing happily. It seemed to represent everything magic wasn't supposed to be. It was free and beautiful and _hopeful_. Maybe if she hadn’t been so worried about hiding herself away, she would have noticed Merlin going through a similar struggle. His conversations with her, about knowing how she felt, meant so much more now. She was also rather impressed that he'd been able to hide for so long, but that was a conversation for another time.

“And you, Arthur?” Morgana prompted. Her heart was beating fast in her chest as she felt Gwen's confidence and Merlin's hope helping her, healing her. It was almost as if her magic was responding to their promises. The only missing piece was Arthur. He was still contemplating the fire, but his eyes were bright and unafraid as he watched the Dragon turn in midair. Apparently, Arthur had already known about Merlin’s magic because he didn't seem surprised. Just contemplative.

He finally turned and took her hand. He kneeled before her and gazed up at her with absolute trust and adoration. 

“The Druids believe you are powerful, Morgana. They believe you might lead them one day. I want to help make that happen,” he said firmly. The conviction in his steel blue eyes was humbling. He was sincere and spoke from the heart, and she was foolish to believe he was anything like Uther. She realized she should have come to him with her secret much sooner. 

“But what about Camelot?” She couldn’t help but ask. She knew his love of Camelot could not be so easily cast aside.

“We will ride into Camelot again one day, triumphant.” Arthur kissed her hand reverently and licked his bottom lip as he stared up at her.

“Clearly you lot have thought of everything,” she teased, but she couldn’t help the huge smile that lit her face. 

“We weren’t sure if you would want to leave,” Gwen admitted as she wrapped her arms around Morgana’s shoulders.

“Camelot is dead to me. _Uther_ is dead to me,” Morgana said firmly. It felt good to say it. It was as if she was shaking herself free of Uther’s tyranny and deadening the power he used to have over her.

Arthur wrapped his arms around Morgana and Gwen both. Morgana felt his nose against her hair and the woodsy scent of him surrounded her. 

“Merlin, don’t be a stranger,” Arthur called. Morgana heard him huff a laugh and get up from the ground. She felt his warmth against her side as he encircled the group with his arms. Merlin had always been strong enough to hold them all.

Morgana breathed out and her heart grew three sizes as she imagined a life that she never knew was possible before.

Even though it had never been his intention, Uther had given her a family after all.


End file.
